This invention relates in general to water production, and more particularly to producing potable water.
Although vast improvements have been made in modern times in obtaining suitable quantities of potable water, problems still exist for people temporarily located in places remote from settled communities. This is particularly true for researchers working in the field as well as military encampments. Currently, the methods of providing potable water in the field typically include shipping in bottled water, using existing water treatment infrastructure or constructing a small conventional water treatment plant, using a reverse osmosis treatment, or using a chemical treatment method and/or apparatus. Each of these treatment methods presents a variety of problems. For example, the source of bottled water may call into question the quality of the water. Transporting large volumes of water is logistically undesirable, requiring additional vehicles, fuel and manpower, and may put soldiers at risk when transporting water through unfriendly areas.
Depending upon location, in some instances it may be feasible to use a local water treatment plant. However, such use may be limited by the quality of the water that can be produced by the plant and whether the facilities are susceptible to sabotage and intentional contamination.
High quality water can be produced in both small and large scale procedures using a reverse osmosis system. Such water treatment procedures, however, require that the system be situated near a water source. In addition, such systems are energy intensive and the membranes, which have finite lifetimes, are expensive to replace.
Numerous point of use devices (such as a canteen, a hydration pack or a portable water purifier) are currently available that can supply a sufficient amount of water for one or several people. These devices have limitations such as requiring a source of water and in many cases a chemical treatment agent, such as a halogen treatment agent, typically an iodine tablet. Most of these devices are capable of providing limited amounts of potable water batch wise. In addition, these commonly used devices are not effective against all possible contaminants.